Corporal punishment of children is a violation of their rights to respect for their human dignity and physical integrity. Its widespread legality breaches their right to equal protection under the law.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international and regional human rights treaties require states to prohibit corporal punishment of children in all settings of their lives.

There is growing progress towards universal prohibition of this most common form of violence against children: 51 states have prohibited all corporal punishment of children, including in the family home. At least 55 more states have expressed a commitment to full prohibition.

The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children promotes universal prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment. Supporters of this aim include UNICEF, UNESCO and many international and national organisations and prominent individuals.

This website contains detailed individual reports on the legality and prevalence of violent punishment in each state and territory in the world, global and regional tables of progress towards prohibition in all settings, information on the human rights imperative to prohibit all corporal punishment, guidance on achieving prohibition, summaries of research on the issue and more.